Snapshots
by xxCalixx
Summary: Snap·shot (/ˈsnapˌSHät/): an impression or view of something brief or transitory / / Snapshots from Clary and Jace's relationship and life, told through a collection of Clace oneshots. Mostly consists of fluffy romance and can either be read separately or as a series. Possible CP2 & COHF spoilers.
1. Pillow

**Title:** Pillow  
**Warnings:** None  
**Category:** Romance, Family, Fluff

* * *

Clary tossed and turned in the sheets, restless and unable to sleep. Being pregnant at 32 weeks proved sleeping to be a difficult and uncomfortable task, especially when the muscles in her daughter's legs had grown strong, insisting on kicking Clary full-force. She shifted from laying on her side to her back and flipped the pillow over, resting her cheek on the cool, cotton fabric. Finally, she gave up and flung the pillow in frustration at the door.

Just at that moment, the bathroom door opened to reveal Jace on the other side. He was wrapped in a white towel, and his blond hair stuck against his forehead, dripping wet, which made Clary's fingers itch to brush it off his face. Relying purely on reflexes, he caught the pillow before it smacked him the face, raising it in one hand. Jace quirked an eyebrow at Clary questioningly.

Clary buried her face in the sheets and let out a muffled groan. "I can't fall asleep, and I've been trying for an hour already. And the baby keeps kicking me in the ribcage."

"Ah," said Jace, dropping his Shadowhunter gear from his previous training session with Alec on the floor. He changed into pajamas, before coming over to the side of the bed.

"Flip onto your side," instructed Jace.

"Why?" Clary questioned, though she complied nevertheless.

Jace wedged the pillow between Clary's bent legs and slipped beneath the covers to lay next to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, hands coming to rest gently on top of her protruding stomach. They fit together like two puzzle pieces, with Clary's back against Jace's chest.

Suddenly, Jace felt a movement underneath his fingertips and looked down at Clary's stomach.

She just shut her eyes tiredly, as if this were something she had gone through many times, before explaining. "She flipped over and kicked me."

Jace moved his hands slightly. "She's kicking here?"

His question was answered by a forceful kick, and another one, and another one, and rather hard at that. Clary let out a quiet sound, as her hands flew to her stomach.

"Lighten up on your mother, will you? You won't be able to kick your way out of there," Jace said, smiling into Clary's hair. He rubbed slow circles with his fingertips into Clary's swollen belly, where his child, _their_ child, was kicking.

Jace couldn't imagine how it felt for Clary. She was carrying a child, and was only 5'1" so small and fragile. _No, not fragile, _he reminded himself. A part of him still thought of Clary as delicate, and he wanted to protect her at all times, but he knew that she was the strongest person that he had ever met.

The kicks seemed to fade away, and with one last strong kick, they stopped altogether. Jace pressed her tighter against him and kissed the top of her head. Clary nestled back into his arms, letting out a content sigh.

"Okay?" Jace asked.

"Okay."

"Where did you come up with this anyway?" questioned Clary.

"I read a book," he answered simply.

"Is this the same book where you learned that I should eat more spinach and avocados?" Clary said, biting back a smile. She had never said it to Jace, but she thought it was adorable how he read up on this kind of stuff to try to help her.

"Maybe. They said I was supposed to buy some type of maternity pillow, but I figured this would work."

"So you're my pillow now?"

Jace nodded solemnly. "It's part of the job description."

"What job description?"

"Of being your fiancé, of course. You have to admit, though, that I make a pretty good pillow."

Clary rolled her eyes, pulling the covers over both of them. "That's my cue to go to sleep now."

Jace kissed Clary on the forehead. "Goodnight, Clary," he said, before bending to kiss her stomach. "And goodnight to you, too."

* * *

**A/N:** There was a slight TFIOS reference in there, if you squint. Also, request/review, please?


	2. Falling Up

**Title: **Falling Up  
**Warnings: **None  
**Category: **Romance, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff  
**Requested By: **nightflightthehero

Post CoHF era. I also wrote this before CoHF came out, so there's a small detail here that conflicts with the events of CoHF. It's minor though and no one has noticed so far, so I haven't changed it.

* * *

"Simon?" Clary skipped every other step as she hurried up the stairs, a roll of masking tape in hand.

There was no answer from Simon, who was up in her room and probably buried in piles of cardboard boxes. He was helping her pack up her items to move to the Institute, and it had taken the majority of the past three days. Who knew she had so much _stuff_? And she was only packing half of her belongings.

It had taken a while, but Clary had finally convinced her mother that if she was training to be a Shadowhunter, she should live at the Institute like one. Jocelyn had proposed a compromise, and Clary was to spend two weeks at the Institute and two weeks with Jocelyn and Luke every month.

It happened in a matter of seconds.

Her foot caught and twisted, and Clary found herself sprawled at an unnatural angle on the floor, bracing herself with her forearms. A sharp pain pierced through her ankle, and her arms ached—almost stung, though that was probably from the carpet burn—from where she had fallen on them.

Simon was out in a flash, taking in the whole scene and swearing underneath his breath. "Are you okay?" he asked, his brow creased.

Simon reached for Clary's hand, attempting to pull her up, but as soon as she put weight on her foot, her face scrunched up with pain and paled. Clary sat down on the stairs, gripping the railing with white-knuckled fingers.

"Maybe I'll just stay here for now," she said, gingerly resting her foot on the carpeted step below her. "Can you get my stele?"

"Where is it?"

Clary groaned internally as she remembered where her stele was: in a cardboard box at the Institute, and Luke had already left with the first couple boxes.

"Can you call Jace?" Clary asked. "My phone is in my room on the nightstand."

Simon's eyes widened slightly at the mention of Jace's name. "He is going to kill me for letting you get hurt."

"He can't exactly do that. You know, with the whole you-being-an-undead-vampire thing and all," she pointed out.

He ignored her, saying "Your superhuman boyfriend is way too overprotective." Nevertheless, he agreed and ended up calling Jace, mentally preparing himself for bloodsucker and rat comments.

Simon sandwiched the phone between his ear and shoulder, leaving his hands open to search for compression bandages. That's what you were supposed to do for possibly sprained ankles, right?

"Clary," Jace picked up, sounding breathless. "Are you coming over now?"

Simon paused for a moment, slightly surprised at the gentle tone of Jace's voice. Whenever Jace talked to Simon, it sounded sarcastic and cool, as if he couldn't care less about what Simon had to say. But, of course, Simon was using Clary's cell phone, and Jace thought he was talking to Clary.

"Clary?"

"It's Simon."

"Well, bloodsucker," said Jace, his voice automatically sliding into the same tone that Simon was accustomed to, like dew turning to frost. "Still vying for my attention, are we?"

"You know, your insults are actually pretty lame," he paused. "But no, I'm calling because of Clary."

"What's wrong? Did something happen to her?" Jace asked. His voice was still cool and calm, but beneath it was barely concealed worry.

"She said she wanted you to come over because she hurt her ankle—" Simon was cut off by the dial tone. Jace had hung up on him, probably frantically rushing over to Clary's house.

* * *

The door flew open, and a worried-looking Jace appeared on the other side.

"How did you get in?" asked Simon.

Jace waved the key in his hand in the air dismissively.

"Why do _you_ get a key? I don't even have a key," complained Simon, looking rather affronted.

Jace gave him a condescending look before brushing past him.

"Clary?" Jace said, concern obvious in his eyes.

Clary lifted a hand in the air, then dropped it. "Up here."

Jace sprinted up the stairs, with Shadowhunter grace, as Clary noticed. She sighed. Even though she was a Shadowhunter, she never seemed to develop the same gracefulness and control that Jace, Alec, and Isabelle all had.

"What's wrong?" asked Jace, crouching down to take Clary's hand in his.

"I did something to my ankle," she said, gesturing vaguely in the proximity of her foot.

Jace leaned towards Clary and picked her up, one arm supporting her in the crook of her knees and the other circling her back. He cautiously made his way down the stairs, careful not to jostle her injured ankle.

After Clary was set down on the couch, Jace kneeled down next to her, gently touching her swollen ankle.

"It hurts here?"

Clary nodded her head in reply.

"I don't think it's broken. You probably twisted it," he said, after a few more minutes of examining and prodding at her ankle.

At that moment, Simon bounced onto the arm of the couch, and Clary drew in a sharp breath as it jolted her ankle.

"_Careful_!" Jace wrapped a protective arm around her.

Simon put his hands in the air and backed away slowly, then shot an amused glance at Clary, as if proving his earlier point about Jace being overprotective.

"It's okay, Jace," said Clary. "He wasn't going to kill me or anything."

The tension from Jace's muscles released, though he glared at Simon—an alpha male contest, as Isabelle would have put it—before extracting a stele from the pocket in the inside lining of his jacket. He polished it on his shirt, then traced an _iratze_ on Clary's ankle.

"It'll take approximately an hour to completely heal," informed Jace. "For now, you just rest."

He wedged a pillow behind Clary's back and propped her foot up on another one to elevate it. Now that Jace was assured that Clary was safe, another thought sprang to mind.

"How did you twist your ankle anyway?"

"I was walking up the stairs and I tripped."

"You fell _up_ the stairs?" Jace asked.

Even Simon had to laugh.

"Leave it to you," said Simon, between gasps of laughter, "to fall up the stairs."

Clary glared at them. "It's not funny!"

Jace kissed Clary on the nose and, still chuckling, disappeared to the kitchen.

* * *

He later returned with an armful of items.

"What's that?" Clary asked, pointing.

"Ice bath, water, ice cream."

Jace set the items down one by one as he named them, then helped Clary sit up on the couch.

"It helps with the swelling," he said, easing her foot into the ice, "and numbs the pain."

"And the ice cream?" Clary said, smirking.

"For this," Jace replied, feeding a spoonful of chocolate fudge ice cream to Clary.

Simon made a retching noise from his place in the armchair next to the couch. "Can you save all the lovey-dovey stuff for when I'm _not_ here?" he asked.

"You're always here though, like a pesky moth or a bloodsucking—"

"And we're back to the vampire insults," observed Simon, absentmindedly scrolling through his phone.

"I think I would prefer the vampire insults over rat insults, so you should probably leave it at that," advised Clary.

"I was referring to a leech. You know, they're scrawny, latch on, then refuse to let go."

Simon and Clary simultaneously rolled their eyes, before Clary leaned over and plucked the spoon out of Jace's hands. She dug a spoonful of cold, creamy ice cream out of the carton and popped it into Jace's mouth, ignoring another groan from Simon.

"You have some ice cream over here," said Clary, gesturing to Jace's mouth.

Jace turned to the mirror that was propped against the wall, before turning back in confusion.

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do," insisted Clary. "I'll show you. It's right," Clary leaned into Jace, pressing her lips firmly to his, "here."

* * *

**A/N: **City of Heavenly Fire came out today! I have my copy next to me right now, and I may have fangirled a bit (just a _bit_) on my porch step when I got the package. And received some odd looks from neighbors.

I'll be posting two oneshots next week, so any requests? Also, feedback/reviews mean the world to me!


	3. White Light Doorway

**Title:** White Light Doorway  
**Warnings:** None, unless you count a very vague mention of blood.  
**Category:** Romance, Fluff

Title from _White Light Doorway_ by Florist.

* * *

Scattered sunbeams, color strained into them by the Institute's stained glass windows, stretched long shadows in the hallways. It was interesting how the stillness of the mornings was serene without being eerie, thought Isabelle absently, as she turned the corner to find herself in front of Jace's room.

Alec and Jace hadn't returned to the Institute until late last night—technically early morning—after an unexpected demon attack. Neither of them bothered to inform Isabelle, who had been out with Simon, that there even _was_ a demon attack. She had delivered an earful of a rant when they showed up. Eventually, she cut the spiel short when Alec—who had somehow managed to "forget" about the six inch laceration stretching across his arm—started bleeding profusely on the carpet and Jace fell asleep on Alec's shoulder.

Isabelle cracked Jace's bedroom door open an inch, poking her head in. She planned on brushing up on her hand to hand combat this morning, which required armor and gear, and she was fairly sure that Jace had taken her electrum bracers. But when she caught a sight of the two figures tangled in the covers, fast asleep, she froze.

Clary was curled up against Jace, her back against his chest, and Jace's head was buried in the crook of her neck. He had one hand wrapped around her, pressing her closer, and both of Clary's hands were entwined in his. Jace, arrogant, demon-slaying _Jace_, was _spooning_ Clary, cuddling even.

Isabelle bit the inside of her cheek, suppressing a smile, and snapped a picture with the Polaroid around her neck. Then, she crouched down, dug through Jace's gear drawer, and plucked her bracers out, before closing the door as she exited.

* * *

Clary pried her eyes open and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, detecting a very warm and very asleep Shadowhunter wrapped securely around her. Jace had come in exhausted last night, which was probably the sole reason that she had woken up before him.

Clary tilted her head towards Jace, the sunlight washing his hair amber. The light cleared the sleep-induced fuzz from her mind, and it dawned on her that the sun had to be moderately high in the sky if it was already streaming through the slitted blinds.

She nudged Jace in the side with an elbow. "Jace. Jace, wake up. We're supposed to be in the training room right now."

Jace made a low sound, heavy with sleep, from the the back of his throat. "Hm?"

"_Jace_," she repeated. "We have to get up."

"More sleep. Shh," Jace said, in a voice sleep-softened at the edges.

As much as Clary would have liked to stay with Jace, she really did have to get to training. She attempted to untwine herself from his arms, but Jace hugged her tighter and wrapped his legs around hers, burying his face in Clary's neck.

"But we have training today," said Clary half-heartedly, her resolve already weakening. This bleary-eyed side of Jace was one she didn't get to see often.

Jace groaned softly in a sound of protest into Clary's hair, and Clary twisted around to look up at him. She relaxed against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart, and her arms went around him to rub his back. Jace made a quiet, sleepy noise of contempt and cuddled Clary closer, before falling asleep with his lips just brushing her forehead lightly.

Okay, so maybe training could wait after all.

* * *

**A/N: **If you're wondering why Isabelle took that picture, it will play a part in a later oneshot. While all of these oneshots can be read separately, I like to drop hints and have threads connecting all of them, since they're all snapshots of Clary and Jace's life.

Please give any feedback you have. Reading reviews makes my day!


	4. Fighting the Stranger in My Eyes

**Title:** Fighting the Stranger in My Eyes  
**Warnings:** Non-graphic depictions of violence and death.  
**Category:** Hurt/comfort, Romance

The title is from _Slowly Freaking Out_ by Skylar Grey but has no other connection to the song. Also, this is a prompt fill to an anonymous request.

* * *

_His eyes were green._

With a gasp, Clary broke away from the tendrils of sleep still clinging to her, cold sweat beading her forehead.

_It's not real. It's not real. It's not real. _She mouthed the phrase to herself over and over again until they smeared together and lost their meaning.

Quiet footsteps thudded their way to the bathroom, and Clary shivered as her feet touched the tile floor. She flicked on the too bright lights, revealing her pale reflection and the dark smudges underneath her eyes.

Clary splashed her face with frigid water, as if she could wash away the nightmares that bled into reality, that clung to her even when she was awake. They stuck like dirt underneath her fingernails, but scrubbing her hands until they were raw would not get rid of the residue. Since the events in Edom, the nightmares had become a constant. They all had typical plot lines, similar to those of B-grade horror movies, but that didn't make them any less horrifying.

At this rate, Clary probably wouldn't be able to fall asleep again and decided to forgo four more hours of tossing and turning for Jace's comfort. She padded her way down the Institute's shadowed hallways, keeping a hand along the walls as she walked, before arriving at Jace's door. It was around 2:00 AM but Jace, who had the sleeping habits of a caffeinated owl, was probably still awake. She turned the knob and pushed the door open just a crack, in case Jace was still asleep.

"Jace?"

Jace looked up from his book, which Clary caught a sight of before he put it down on the nightstand. It was the familiar, battered copy of A Tale of Two Cities.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Jace asked.

She cracked a smile, though it was subdued. "Look who's talking."

"Come here," Jace said, moving over on the bed and smoothing down the sheets next to him.

Clary obliged, then nestled into the blankets and nuzzled into Jace's shirt. Jace's familiar scent of soap, and his arm, wrapped around her.

"Can't sleep?" Jace asked.

"Sort of." Clary's reply came out muffled by Jace's shirt. "Never mind me though. Why can't _you _sleep?"

Jace sighed, running a hand through his hair, before resting it on the back of his neck.

"Restless mind?" he proposed. "I'm not sure exactly."

"Anything to do with that?" asked Clary, gesturing to the book that sat on Jace's nightstand, with the Herondale ring on top of it.

"That's part of it, I guess."

"You can talk about it, if you want."

Jace closed his eyes for a moment and tilted his head back against the headboard. "No, not now. Maybe another time."

She nodded, settling back in Jace's arms. "Okay."

"Why can't _you_ sleep, then?" Jace asked. "You really should be getting some rest."

"It's not that; I can fall asleep just fine. It's staying asleep that I have a problem with."

"Nightmares?"

Clary sighed, then made a sound of affirmation.

"Want to talk about it?"

Clary shook her head, feeling more pathetic than ever. "I just want to sleep, but I _can't_." She had fought demons and been to Hell and back—literally—and _nightmares_, fictional situations conjured up by her own mind, would be her undoing.

"You can go to sleep, Clary," Jace said, reaching for her hand. "I'll be right here."

The pressure of Jace against her side and his hand in hers, reminding her that he was there, had the effect of lavender and chamomile tea. Clary almost fought her drooping eyelids but eventually succumbed, letting sleep draw her in.

* * *

_Clary pressed a chaste kiss to Sebastian's cheek, her hand lingering at the hilt of her sword._

_"Hail, master."_

_Sebastian's eyes clouded with confusion, then widened as clarity dawned on him. He started but Clary was faster, pulling Heosphoros from her belt and plunging it into his chest._

_The look of betrayal on his face as he blazed up in golden fire was one she would never forget, and it wrenched in her stomach, made her throat close up._

_It all happened so fast, but the heavenly fire burned away, leaving only Sebastian's still body behind. Then, his eyes flicked open, and they were gold. A familiar gold._

_"No," said Clary. "No, no, _no_. This isn't happening."_

_The figure on the ground tilted his head to look at her with a mask of utter horror and betrayal._

_"Jace!" _

_With an outstretched hand and tears threatening to spill, she reached to press her hand to his cheek. But he recoiled and shot her a glare so full of venom, twisted with pain._

_"_Don't._ Don't touch me," he hissed. "Get away from me."_

_Clary staggered back into Isabelle as the tears spilled over, choking back a sob. She looked to Isabelle, who shoved her away before shooting her a cold glare; it was almost worse than Jace's anger._

_"How could you, Clary?" she was saying._

_"Clary," hissed the Dark Shadowhunters, advancing towards her._

_"Clary."_

_"Clary."_

_"Clary."_

_Her name in their mouth was filled with so much hatred, worsened infinitely when Jocelyn, Isabelle, Alec, Magnus, Simon, and Luke joined the Endarkened, all wielding weapons._

_"Clary!"_

_It was Jace, and Clary turned towards him instinctively, hoping that maybe he had broken through the control that the demon blood held over him, that everything was okay. In one swift, graceful motion, Jace pulled the sword from his chest and thrust it at Clary._

_It hit home._

_The last thing Clary saw was Jace falling back, before everything faded into darkness, for her to follow Jace to where he had gone._

"Clary." Jace gripped Clary by her shoulders, shaking her. "Clary!"

Clary's eyes snapped open, tears blurring her vision, and she almost pushed herself off the bed before her eyes focused on Jace's. She collapsed bonelessly, stifling a sob.

Jace spoke to her, repeating the same words over and over again. Clary couldn't hear what he was saying over the roar of panic in her ears, but she let the sound of his voice alone be her anchor. It lulled her heartbeat and untightened the iron fist clenched around her body, holding her stagnant in the face of fear. He held her until her sobs faded into shuddering breaths, and Jace wiped a tear away with his thumb, lingering on her cheekbone before he dropped his hand.

Jace was silent for a moment, before breaking it. "Do you want to talk about it? It might help."

Clary exhaled slowly. "We were back in Edom, in Sebastian's throne room. I killed him with Heosphoros, like how it happened in real life, but he… he morphed into you. I _killed you_. And everyone else… They_ hated_ me—which, you know, was an appropriate reaction—but it was like they turned into the Endarkened and I just..." Clary's voice had become a whisper, her words trailing off.

"But they didn't, Clary."

"I know but…"

"They're all alive and safe, and you didn't kill me. I'm right here, and Sebastian's dead." Jace smoothed down a strand of Clary's hair, tucking it behind her ear. "Just remember that next time, okay? We're all safe."

They settled into a comfortable silence, Jace pressing feathery kisses to Clary's temple. Clary let herself relish in the quiet moment, her heartbeat calming down to normal, though it registered in the back of her mind that Jace was being too _nice_. Not that she was complaining but she half expected him to retort with a sarcastic remark and make her laugh to forget. Maybe this was a positive, a sign that Jace's mile-high defense mechanisms were coming down, at least while he was around Clary.

Jace nudged her with an elbow. "Are you okay?"

_Was_ she okay? Her father and brother, albeit evil ones, were dead. Her best friend still didn't remember her. This surely was not the last nightmare-plagued night she would experience. But her family was safe and she still had Jace by her side.

Clary laced her fingers with Jace's, giving a light squeeze. "More than okay."

* * *

**A/N: **So. This is the first time I've updated in a year (oops) and this is the trash I come up with. Apparently, I'm trying to win the "Who can write the most stereotypical, cliche fic in the world?" award. Anyway, I have a couple things I think I should address below, but I'll put the main 'topics' in parentheses so you don't have to wade through the huge mass of text if you don't want to read all of it.

**(Why I was absent for so long)** Sorry for leaving this fic for so long without any warning! It was really just a matter of not enough time, with trying to balance school and extracurriculars, and any free time I've had this past year has gone to writing/editing some of my original works. After I got published, which was my main goal this past year, I thought I'd be able to work on more Clace fics. All that went out the window when I realized it was time for finals and huge end of the year projects.

**(Updating schedule)** On the bright side, I'm almost out of school, so I should have more time for writing during the summer. However, I signed up for a volunteer camp that will actually be more time-consuming than school is. Long story short, I've hesitantly planned an update schedule for about once a month (an update can either be a new chapter/oneshot to this fic or an entirely new fic). I'm also going to point out that this fic is technically complete, since all of these are oneshots, though they can be read as a series or separately.

**(Extra oneshots/chapters of this fic)** If you've been reading this fic for a while, you may have noticed that several oneshots are now gone, specifically All That Matters, Playing Doctor, and Sleigh Bells Ringing. All of these oneshots were written over a year ago (Including this one too, actually. I wrote the majority of this fic a year ago, and it was only a few lines away from being finished) and my writing style has definitely changed.  
I can't read my old writing without cringing, so I'm going back and editing/rewriting them. The ones I've deleted are ones that I didn't think were salvageable. If you still want to read them, just message me/leave a comment (you have to be logged in though, so I can reply) and I'd be happy to send you a private link!

Please leave a review of what you thought, even if it's just one sentence! They make my day and encourage me when I'm writing.


End file.
